Any other Engima machine fans in here? plus funny story.

[loosebolts]

afternoon
I found online a college that posted a simulators that mimics any of the Enigma machines used from the 30's and 40's. personally i also found the mystery and spy stuff surrounding the Enigma machine intriguing. i visited the U-505 in Chicago some years ago and through the glass looked at the machine it self.
so i studies how to used one. the internet has several website that ironically explain the procedures on how to operate one but all have them jumbled around. but just if any one was interested i figured i would link the website.
http://people.physik.hu-berlin.de/~palloks/js/enigma/enigma-u_v20_en.html

by default it is on the Model 3 machine which pre dates U boat "shark" machine but used by Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht through out the war. but there are several other models in the drop down menu on the right corner. The plug board can be some what confusing, type the two letters you wish to swap in the box but remember you cant repeat the same letter. there are also the ring setting as well as the rotor selection ( roman numerical one through eight.) and then the the 3 or 4 letters you want the rotors to start on.
but one thing that is not on the web site is the code books. when transmitted by Morse code there were two letter (IE: XB) representing a single letter on the Enigma machine (IE: K) that would translate to another letter in the code book. time consuming but you could spell out the message.
figured some of you guys and gals might have fun tinkering with it.
now on to the funny part. the M4 shark comes to the rescue.
a few years ago in a funny but difficult situation i used the enigma machine to talk to a friend of my. my insane ex had a dad that was a big shot for IBM. there was no such things as privacy any where, computer internet, no where. with this woman the only privacy i had was inside my own head, she had issues. so when it came time to ditch this woman, there were things such as bank accounts info and other personal info that i needed to communicate with family back home. when i did i taught my best friend how to use the M4 shark enigma machine and we communicated that way although it was very very slow. i would text him the key code when i needed to say something with out that crazy woman knowing. the key would look like: Bb-VI-II-V TREE 10-1-8-5. (which rotors to use, letter setting and ring setting) once he dialed this in we could type message to eachother and post or email it any where with out her hot shot dad hacking in or figuring out what we were saying. i was able to coordinate and get away, the 20k and leather jackets were a small sacrifice for personal freedom.
i got away and they never broke the code although its questionable if they actually knew what they were looking at.

cheers
LB

 

[Peacoat]

Yes, I am an Enigma fan. There was a thread on this several years ago, and someone posted a link to one that was on eBay.

Thanks for the story. I have used code before, but with the female as the correspondent. More to keep secrets from her Dad. Not to keep secrets from her; she was part of the secret.

One of my long time buddies and I speak in code when we don't want our wives to know what we are talking about. Neither of them learned Pig Latin--great code. Sorta like the Navaho code talkers.

 

[loosebolts]

nice, that is a much better story than mine. i hope it had a better out come. the four letter blocks confused her a bit. she did not know which code it was, however i did see her researching codes but they were old roman and a few other types. in the garbage one day i saw here trying to take a copy of what i sent and tried to highlite things as if were a cross word.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

a few years ago in a funny but difficult situation i used the enigma machine to talk to a friend of my. my insane ex had a dad that was a big shot for IBM. there was no such things as privacy any where, computer internet, no where. with this woman the only privacy i had was inside my own head, she had issues. so when it came time to ditch this woman, there were things such as bank accounts info and other personal info that i needed to communicate with family back home. when i did i taught my best friend how to use the M4 shark enigma machine and we communicated that way although it was very very slow. i would text him the key code when i needed to say something with out that crazy woman knowing. the key would look like: Bb-VI-II-V TREE 10-1-8-5. (which rotors to use, letter setting and ring setting) once he dialed this in we could type message to eachother and post or email it any where with out her hot shot dad hacking in or figuring out what we were saying. i was able to coordinate and get away, the 20k and leather jackets were a small sacrifice for personal freedom.
i got away and they never broke the code although its questionable if they actually knew what they were looking at.

cheers
LB

Well, whaddya know? It works!

Bb VI II V TREE 10-1-8-5
ieum faek xcsr suvh ggmm tgyb says kfhi avbn xsom fntg koyr ajpd clgc recw ybgr fjgl iwbj lslv swex z

 

[Two Types]

I had the good fortune to handle one a few years back - we took out the wheels, played with the keys etc under the supervision of a real, live codebreaker. Most interesting.
(that said - I'm not really interested in code breaking etc - so i suppose the experience was wasted on me!)

 

[Story]

Yes, I am an Enigma fan. There was a thread on this several years ago, and someone posted a link to one that was on eBay.

Here ya go
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?20004-ENIGMA

I'd read recently that the reason the British were selling them as operational items to new African nations after the war, which is why they kept their stash of machines locked up under a 'Secret' label for decades after the war.

 

[Peacoat]

OK, you guys are better spies than I am. I just don't see all of the stuff you are putting in to set the code. I only have one B and not the Bb that begins the sequence. Nor can I find the TREE 10-1-8-5 anywhere on my machine.

Back to Pig Latin.

 

[Aerojoe]

my insane ex had a dad that was a big shot for IBM. there was no such things as privacy any where, computer internet, no where. with this woman the only privacy i had was inside my own head, she had issues. so when it came time to ditch this woman, there were things such as bank accounts info and other personal info that i needed to communicate with family back home. when i did i taught my best friend how to use the M4 shark enigma machine and we communicated that way although it was very very slow.

Who did you marry, man? Mata-Hari?

 

[loosebolts]

OK, you guys are better spies than I am. I just don't see all of the stuff you are putting in to set the code. I only have one B and not the Bb that begins the sequence. Nor can I find the TREE 10-1-8-5 anywhere on my machine.

Back to Pig Latin.

sorry T R E E and 10 - 1- 8 -5 were just and example of a daily key code. the germans as well as my self switched the four letter you punch in on the center of the machine (app in this case.) and the numbers and the ring setting. there the letters A A A A in the box can be toggled with the plus and minus to any letter. click on "ring setting" and you can set them to any numbers you want (1-26) 10 - 1-8-5 is just an example of the numbers you can punch in on ring settings.

As for my ex. let me say this much. she went to college and became enlighten. woke up one morning and hated me. systematically disassembled life as i knew it because i was not enlightened and was undeserving and she was the judge of who was and was not worthy. plus she liked the sauce. i escaped by the help of the enigma machine and she thought i was stupid

 

[QueenOfRandom]

Well, this is a Turing machine, but this one has been made in everyone's favorite toy. Lego.

[video=youtube;FTSAiF9AHN4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTSAiF9AHN4[/video]

I've learnt a lot about Turing and Enigma machines at work (100th birthday last year etc.) and it all fascinates me! How they got these things to work and designing them! Brilliant stuff.


PS. Who would have thought the post to get me out of lurking was't anything to do with hair like I came here for, but the mother of all computers xD The geek will never leave me

 

[Peacoat]

OK, figured it out. I was using the default version--M-3 (Army/Navy), and you guys were using the Shark (U-Boat) version. Once I scrolled through the various versions, and found the "Bb" symbol, I realized what the problem was.

Now I just need a correspondent. Guess I could use the original girlfriend. Her Father died a few years ago, so no need to use code because of him anymore. And yes, Loosebolts, ours was a better outcome than yours. We just kind of driffted apart because of distance and other problems inherent in most young romances.

 

[loosebolts]

OK, figured it out. I was using the default version--M-3 (Army/Navy), and you guys were using the Shark (U-Boat) version. Once I scrolled through the various versions, and found the "Bb" symbol, I realized what the problem was.

Now I just need a correspondent. Guess I could use the original girlfriend. Her Father died a few years ago, so no need to use code because of him anymore. And yes, Loosebolts, ours was a better outcome than yours. We just kind of driffted apart because of distance and other problems inherent in most young romances.

glad to hear it was a better story, never know what could happen if you could look her up.

 

[Peacoat]

glad to hear it was a better story, never know what could happen if you could look her up.

Don't want to look her up. She is married and so am I!

Actually, we have some communication, but not much of it. I haven't heard from her in a year. She lives in another state. Any communication we might have these days doesn't need to be in code! Our love affair of many years ago is well in the past. We have both moved on, but remain friends. It was fun, those days of long ago.